IFCA Slalom World Championships

IFCA Slalom World Championships

As we mentioned already there were a lot of events on this weekend and another big one was that of the IFCA Slalom Worlds. With the PWA slalom also kicking off last week and the DEFI wind taking place the top names were certainly spread all over the world. That said many still attended the IFCA event and the mixed conditions really gave a chance for the best man to win. In this case it was Germany’s very own Gunnar Asmussen who took the crown, read the official final day report below to find out more.

With three outstanding victories Gunnar Asmussen (GER-88, Patrik, North) from Flensburg is the new IFCA Slalom Men’s World Champion. Vincent Langer (GER-122, Starboard, Severne) from Kiel, another German, clinched second place overall. In third place, the Dutchman Jordy Vonk (8.0 points) followed by the Dane Sebastian Kornum (13.0 points) in fourth. Maciej Rutkowski from Poland (14.0 points) completes the top five.

The last day brought force 5-6 winds, once again perfect conditions for the slalom discipline. This allowed two more slalom series to be completed, thus four full slalom eliminations contributed to the result of the World Championships – part of the Rollei Summer Openings presented by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. Five exciting days of slalom and racing competition with a total of 80,000 visitors drawn to the windsurfing elite battling on the rough waters of the North Sea island of Sylt.

In the third of the four eliminations the tide seemed to turn for the previously dominant Gunnar Asmussen. Surprisingly different in the quarter-finals, he cleared the way for Vincent Langer to emerge as the winner of the third elimination with Maciej Rutkowski (POL-23, Patrick, Point 7) and Jordy Vonk (NED-69, Patrik, loft) on the second and third places.

Prior to the fourth and final elimination the battle could not be more exciting. Four riders still had a shot at the world title. Gunnar Asmussen, Vincent Langer, Jordy Vonk and Maciej Rutkowski. The matching conditions were more demanding – ever higher waves and the wind reaching force 7.

Drama in the first round, as the favourite Gunnar Asmussen, had a spectacular catapult at the first mark. From last place he started a sensational comeback and eventually qualified in third place for the quarter finals. Buoyed by this success, he made his way to the final. Vincent Langer and Jordy Vonk also qualified again for the final round, only Maciej Rutkowski didn’t make it.

Gunnar Asmussen had the best start and dominated the final field. Vincent Langer’s start was not his best but he still struggled forward and could finally pass the Dutchman Jordy Vonk. At the finish the order then was Asmussen, Langer and Vonk. In the overall standings, the 34-year-old sovereign Asmussen wins with the ideal score of 2.1, and so wins the official title for the 2013 Slalom World Championships. Which also gave him a cool 3,000€ cash prize.

The date for the Rollei Summer Opening in 2014 is already set as the 28 May to 01 June 2014.

There are plenty of quality clips out there from the event but here is one of our favourites.

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